Naturally Physically
by Timballisto
Summary: Before emotional attraction, there is physical attraction. For Gregor and Luxa, the tension was thick enough to cut with a knife. Oneshots detailing Gregor and Luxa's sometimes complex and simple relationship. -Gluxa- New Chapter: Scars
1. White Cliffs of Dover

Gregor gulped as he looked over the tall, looming edge of the cliff, down at the dark pool far, far below. Next to him, Ares laughed at his terrified visage, his strange bat voice echoing around the cave, mixing with the delighted giggles that Boots and Hazard were causing in a shallow pool, also far, far below.

"There is nothing to be afraid of Overlander." Ares chuckled, nudging Gregor toward the edge with his head. "I do not remember you being so scared since you first came here."

"It's not the same." Gregor said, peering out over the edge again. "I mean, what if the water is too shallow and I hit the bottom." Gregor shivered a little, rubbing his bare, scarred chest to ward away goose bumps.

"Gregor, this pool is so deep, not even fliers can reach the bottom diving from twice as high." Ares nudged him further towards the edge. Gregor shook his head, backing up from the edge.

"I don't even know what I was thinking when I came up here." Gregor muttered. "Forget it, there is no way in hell I'm jumping."

"What, too afraid are you?" Gregor flinched. He knew that voice, and it's vaguely insulting, superior, royal, beautiful owner.

"Hey Luxa, fancy meeting you here." Gregor said, not turning around for fear of blushing. He imagined her silvery blond eyebrows contracting at his strange phrase in an attempt to understand it and the tips of his ears colored.

"Gregor,"_ Don't look, don't look, don't look, don't look-_"Howard said you'd taken Boots and Hazard here to go swimming with Dulcet." _Don't look, don't look, don't look, don't look, don't look- _"And then I see you up here, on Fliers Peak, shivering from…fear? What are you," Luxa teased. "A frightened nibbler pup?"

"Hey!" Gregor turned, insulted, forgetting not to look. Gregor's mouth dropped open. While he was merely wearing his Underland boxers (which according to Ares, doubled as swim wear) Luxa was wearing the female approximate. "Gulg."

Luxa raised an eyebrow at Gregor's inarticulate response, but he was too busy trying desperately not to blush, and not to stare.

"Uh…hi." Gregor mumbled, casting his eyes down onto the rocky ground, safe territory.

"What is wrong, Gregor? Are you unwell?" Worry clouded her eyes and she placed her hand on Gregor's forehead. Behind them, Ares was snorting with badly concealed laughter, his form shaking with suppressed mirth.

"No," Gregor's voice cracked. "No, I'm fine."

Luxa took her hand away from his face, nodding. "Well, than I supposed you would forgive me than?"

Gregor looked up, his face red and flustered. "Why? What happened?"

Luxa smiled her crooked half smile, here eyes flicking behind him. Gregor's eyes popped open in horror "No. You wouldn't."

Luxa took a step forward, and Gregor stumbled back. "Come on Luxa, can't we talk about this?" he pleaded, casting an anxious look at the looming edge. Luxa merely laughed and walked forward again.

"Ares?" The bat was gone, leaving Gregor alone with the smirking Queen. Gregor accidentily locked eyes with her, becoming a little dazed as blood rushed from his cheeks south. She looked...really good, even when she was hell bent on chucking him off a cliff. Then he realized his mistake, he'd gotten distracted.

"Oh shi-" Gregor's curse was lost as Luxa's hands found his chest and shoved, hard, catapulting him into space, down, down into the freezing. Cold. Water.

On the way down, Gregor couldn't help but shiver. Her hands on his bare chest were soft....then he hit the water with a loud smack and he couldn't feel anything on his chest anyway.


	2. Pool of Glass

Hey, cheers to **roughdiamond5** for PMing me this fic idea. Shame on the rest of you for not being proactive enough.

Disclaimer: ...honestly, I really don't own any of this. The characters belong to Suzanne Collings (AKA the worst series finale writer ever) and the plot idea belongs to, again, roughdiamond5. So...cheers.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- **Set during 'Curse of the Warmbloods'**----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gregor had never been so tired, so wiped out, and now, after that awful trek through the jungle to this pool, this marvelous pool… he had never been so embarrassed either.

When he had first gotten into the pool, he had merely fallen in, letting to cool water take off the sand caked to his body and clothes. Then, without any regard to propriety, had proceeded to strip down to his Regalian boxers to swim and cool down in.

He had, of course, forgotten Luxa, who had been standing, bemused, behind him, food gathered in her arms.

If it were possible, he had colored from his back to his ears, causing Ripred and Hamnet to look up from their conversation and (Ripred did, at least) laugh at him.

Of course, he was still mad at her for leaving him to die in a sand pit, but, secretly, he felt rather proud of himself for having the guts to take off his shirt (not to mention his pants) and still be able to not feel too self-conscious about it.

In fact, he actually...kind of enjoyed it. Taking his shirt off in front of Luxa, it wasn't like he was totally unattractive, right? Maybe the all the weird scars he had were cool in the Underland of something.

Gregor shook his head violently before he ducked underwater, savoring the coolness. Geez, he'd been having these weird thoughts since she had gone missing, and now that she was back… he wasn't sure how to express it.

At first he had entertained the thought that perhaps… he liked Luxa? Gregor banished that thought immediately. She was arrogant, proud, snobby, creepy, a really good warrior, had saved his life countless times, honest, trustworthy, good looking-

Gregor frowned. Good looking? Gregor snuck another look at Luxa. He noticed the long scar, one she certainly hadn't had before, and noticed how there seemed to be lines, etched in her face. She looked sad, and worn out, much like she had when he had come down for that prophecy involving the baby Bane.

When Gregor glanced back at Luxa, she caught his gaze with her own, even as she busied herself with handing out fruit to the little kids. Gregor, strangely, blushed and looked down, noticing again, that he was still in his underwear.

Gregor looked at his nasty, gritty, wet clothes, then back at Luxa's face, which looked as flushed as his own.

Perhaps he could go without for a few more hours, perhaps it was revenged for leaving him to die in a sand pit.

* * *

You lot need to review me more ideas for this fic, really, I can't stimulate my creative juices enough, I'm getting nothing but 'good job'. I want some hardcore, 'wtf are you doing ruining this fic you moron' kind of reviews, capish?

Sayonara.


	3. What Howard Saw

Howard knew what they did, behind the heavily curtained doorway to Luxa's apartments. Howard knew, by the subtle touches and veiled, smoldering looks, what really went on when Luxa asked Gregor to escort her to her apartments. The private rooms reserved for the Warrior were a mere formality, and everyone knew it.

They were old enough, to be certain, Luxa herself was twenty and Gregor twenty-one, both able fighters and heavily respected by all species of the Underland. But the thought…

Howard repressed a shiver of disgust.

To think of Gregor, his friend, comrade, the witness to his bonding with Nike, bedding his cousin…Howard shivered again.

And that one night, when he had knocked, but received no answer… he had walked into his cousins apartments, only to see, through one of the curtained doors, Luxa and Gregor, asleep in each other' arms, asleep, thankfully, but clothed only in their birthday suits.

He had immediately left, and had instructed the guards to remove themselves to the far ends of the hallway and that no one was to enter the Royal Apartments until the Queen had woken up.

He hadn't been able to look at them in the face after that.

They tried very hard to hide it from the general populace, uncomfortable with the public idea of marriage or betrothal, happy to just be together, enjoying the peace that Gregor had fought and lost so much for. Howard himself was slightly hurt when he realized that, of all of their close friends, he had been the last to know. Mareth, Ripred, Lapblood, Vikus, and Gregors own family had known before he had, and that rankled.

He supposed they thought he would object to the match, and the traditionalist instilled by the atmosphere of the Fount had been against the match. Howard knew that part of the reason Gregor and Luxa hid their relationship like it was something to be ashamed off was because, to the nobles who resided in the Fount, and the rich merchants who wore finery like a cloak and enjoyed sniping at anything untraditional would object to the coupling. To a blueblooded Underlander, a half-lander heir would be unthinkable.

But still, Howard knew it was only a matter of time before Luxa concieved, with how Gregor and Luxa carried on. No matter what potent herbs she ate, nothing was fool-proof and soon, he knew they would have to make a descision.

...but really, the glances that even a blind crawler could decipher were getting old. He did not want to know what Gregor thought about his cousin, a girl he thought of as a sibling. That one time he had walked in had been enough, the mental images being transmitted by Gregors love-sick eyes were enough to make him hurl.

Howard sometimes wished they'd just get over with it already.


	4. Scars

Short and really angsty. Not really physical stuff, but this type of depression would lead to him returning to the Underland, I believe.

Disclaim: Not my characters!

Oh, and I don't have anything against people who are scarred btw. Personally, even grotesque scars look quite sexy to me- is that weird? So don't take offense or something!

* * *

Gregor was eighteen the first time he realized he'd never be able to be physically intimate with someone.

It wasn't because of any medical defect on his part, or even a self-imposed celibacy, no, it was the same reason he never wore shorts and short sleeves. It was the reason he always said no to pool parties and late night invites in college and why he had virtually no friends anymore.

His scars.

He hated them. They were raised imperfections ugly, ropey bands of healed over flesh that crisscrossed like a net with little shreds of untouched skin. The most prominent, the claw mark of the Bane could even be seen through a tight enough shirt.

Gregor felt like a prisoner in his own body- unhappy, unsatisfied, and alone.

Some days, when his life just seemed too unbearable, he'd think of Her.

He'd allow himself to think of _what ifs _and _might have beens_ and found himself wondering if he could go down the Underland and visit just this once…

Gregor would go out on those nights and stagger home to his fifth rate apartment blind drunk- stumbling up the stairs and not caring if he fell and banged his leg because it'd just be one more scar of many and no one would know how much he hurt but him and-

He'd sob for a while, pathetic and hung over, and would quietly open his apartment door and the cycle would begin again.

Gregor was eighteen the first time he realized She was the only one who would've accepted him, scars and all, and that no amount of booze or money would ever change that no one else could stand to see such ruin.


End file.
